A Day In The Life With Kohl's & REED

Last week I partnered with Kohl's for a very fun and exciting day in the city to celebrate the launch of their new collection with Reed Krakoff.  If you were following along on my social media channels, then I’m pretty sure you saw tons of Instagram posts, snaps and tweets!  Today I am getting into more detail though to give you a closer look at this campaign and collection.  I am also going to share some of the photos that I shot with Kohl's in my #MustREEDxKohls maxi dress and handbag.  I hope you enjoy! 

The day started out with an event at Grand Central Terminal where handbags from the new collection were put on display.   They were even giving them away to people who attended the activation.  There were so many more than I expected, all in different colors and sizes.  The minis were probably my favorite because you know I love everything fun-sized. :) Reed was there doing interviews with media and I got the chance to meet him and chat with him for a few. At the end of this post I have a little Q&A with him. I also got put on the spot for a quick interview on what I was wearing as well as my thoughts on the new collection.  Eek! All in all it was a great start to the day.

The next several hours were spent shooting in different parts of the city with one of their photographers, Jason Jean.  The really cool thing was that I had full creative control to choose my favorite places in New York and share some of what I like to do in a typical day.  When partnering with a brand, it’s very important to me that I am able to do what feels organic and authentic to who I am because if not, then it just won’t work.  There were a total of 5 of us doing this campaign so we all got to shoot with a different photographer and share where our new handbags and outfits took us. Loved that!

I started out at one of my favorite coffee shops in the West Village.  Coffee is a huge part of my daily routine, as most of you know.  I think these were my favorite photos from the shoot!  After that we shot a little more in the West Village and went over by the High Line in the Meat Packing District.  These are some of my go-to places when I am spending time in the city.  We sort of just shot things that caught our eye during our walk in that area and Jason had some great ideas too.  We came across this cute brownstone with a red door, so I couldn’t resist sitting on the steps for a few photos.  It was so funny that a dog was starting at us through the window. Love how Jason captured this along with my reaction! I buy myself fresh flowers every week, so I went to the flower market to pick up new beauties.  Then it was time for lunch followed by some vanilla gelato.  It’s always good to treat yourself sometimes!  I had so much fun snapping all of these photos.  The maxi dress was perfect for the beautiful weather that we had last week.  It’s so light and easy to wear.  The handbag is such a great everyday bag because it was big enough to hold all of my things, even a pair of flats, but it wasn't overwhelming.

After shooting we had a little break and then it was time for the launch dinner.  I changed into another one of  the dresses from the new collection.  The dinner was held in the new Kohl's showroom.  It was such a beautiful all white space and the bags were on display again.  I had no idea who would be there so I was surprised when I saw Solange and Emma Roberts!  Solange was actually wearing the same maxi dress that I took all of the photos in.  It was so cool to see how she styled it.  Overall, it was just an amazing day and I am very thankful to have been a part of it all. There were moments when I thought to myself, “Wow, I can’t believe I am here right now.” I have to say that this was definitely one of my favorite partnerships.  The entire concept was very different than anything I have done before. 

Now here is a Q&A with Reed.

How did the collaboration with Kohl's come about?

Kohl’s is an incredible retailer on such a large national level and it’s a known fact that their loyal customers appreciate great design, quality and value. It’s been a fun challenge to create this line for Kohl’s and reach a broad group of women.

What is the most challenging part about designing and what is the most rewarding?

One thing I have learned over the years is that women always demand something they can fall in love with. The challenge in that is designing something that women can stay in love with. I try to design things that are exciting, functional yet classic. I find it most rewarding every time I see a woman on the street wearing one of my designs.

Where does the inspiration behind your designs come from?

I drew the biggest inspiration for the REED for Kohl’s collection from some of the items from my luxury collection. I was so intrigued to reintroduce some iconic pieces to a wider audience.

I hope that you enjoyed this post.  You can view the entire collection here.  Would love to know your thoughts! Thank you so much to Kohl's and Reed Krakoff for an unforgettable day!  

Disclosure:  This post was sponsored by Kohl's.  All opinions expressed are my own and this was not edited by any third parties.  Thank you for supporting the brands that support A Love Affair With Fashion!